


Merrier the More

by kahn



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Canonical Character Death, Cap_Ironman Fic Exchange Challenge, Community: cap_ironman, Friendship/Love, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Pre-Slash, Rhodey POV, Schmoop, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-11
Updated: 2013-03-11
Packaged: 2017-12-05 00:18:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/716706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kahn/pseuds/kahn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Even though he's seen the news feed and been debriefed by a singed but aggressively unflappable SHIELD agent, Rhodey's pretty sure the sound he makes when he comes face to face with The Hulk's massive head and stern glare is embarrassingly close to a squeak.</i>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Rhodey helps put New York City back together and meets some of Tony's new friends.</p><p>(Rhodey POV that takes place immediately after <i>The Avengers</i>.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Merrier the More

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Penumbren](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Penumbren/gifts).



> (I'm trying very hard to use the tag system properly and leave all the babbling in my notes. Success?)
> 
> The "cannon character death" is Agent Coulson and although that's since been rescinded, no one in this story knows that, yet (this is also where the "grief/mourning" comes in).
> 
> Written for the [cap_ironman winter fic exchange](http://cap-ironman.livejournal.com/1064833.html), the request was:  
>  _As Steve becomes a bigger part of Tony's life, he, Tony, and Rhodey all have to make adjustments._  
>  Things you'd like to see: Tony and Rhodey's friendship/bromance, romance, banter, respect/love on all sides, even a threesome if it works out that way  
> Things you don't want: Rhodey being ignored
> 
> I decided to make it a threesome. But at the moment it's mostly just a flirty threesome with FEELS, and not really a let's-work-out-how-to-put-tab-A-into-slot-B-and-somehow-also-involve-tab-C threesome.
> 
> Beta'd with equal measures love and exasperation by [nightwalker](http://archiveofourown.org/users/nightwalker) (THANK YOU!).

Rhodey meets Captain America for the first time in the rubble of a ruined building in New York. Rhodey isn't familiar enough with the city to say where exactly or which building. It's going on thirty-two hours without sleep, and over twenty of those hours were spent just _getting_ here, catching the earliest flight he could from Baghdad and then more or less bullying his way into New York with Pepper's help. Smoke darkens the sky. Emergency vehicles wail up and down what avenues are open. Rhodey is in one of Tony's earlier Iron Man designs, grumbling at JARVIS over the nitpicky complexities Tony added to the operating systems that he obviously cleared out of War Machine before Rhodey "stole" it. It's like having to adjust the rearview mirror of a friend's car before driving multiplied by a thousand.

  
Most of Rhodey's concentration, however, is on the life signs of at least two, possibly three heat signatures under the debris. It's a delicate operation to clear a path without causing a cave-in. He's got volunteers bracing a support beam as he cuts careful sections with a laser, and doesn't pay attention when someone near him looks up and makes a startled sound.

  
Then something's landing beside him with enough force to make even Rhodey stagger, supported by the suit's hydraulics and automatic balance adjustment software though he is. He stabilizes and grabs a volunteer that trips and starts to fall, then turns sharply toward a huge shadow that suddenly looms by his shoulder, backlit by the orange sunset light.

  
Even though he's seen the news feed and been debriefed by a singed but aggressively unflappable SHIELD agent, Rhodey's pretty sure the sound he makes when he comes face to face with The Hulk's massive head and stern glare is embarrassingly close to a squeak.

  
"METAL MAN HURT," the giant states and Rhodey can feel the vibrations of its voice in his teeth. He doesn't begrudge any of the people who scramble to hide behind him or run to cover, but he sort of wishes he could join them. "SHOULD BE IN..." Its face scrunches up and it makes a vague gesture down the street. "REST," it concludes finally, after a mental struggle.

  
Rhodey blinks and can only manage a faint, "What?"

  
"Hulk!" The new voice is accompanied by a hot blond number in a skin tight costume, the colors of the flag bright despite the soot and battle damage. Rhodey has time to take in an impressive breadth of shoulders and solid thighs and the hint of particularly nice ass. His tired mind slowly links classified photos and reports until he realizes he's ogling a childhood idol and embarrassment makes a determined attempt to overshadow initial interest. Really, the distinctive shield should've been Rhodey's first clue.

  
All thoughts rattle to a halt when The Hulk slams its fists into the ground, its voice a resounding growl, lower lip jutting out in a determined expression as it glares at Captain America. "METAL MAN HURT. CAP MAKE METAL MAN GO BED. DOCTOR. REST."

  
"Hey," Rhodey says, shaking off his daze and refocusing. "Stop that. There are people under there," he indicates the collapsed building, "and you're going to knock something loose that could hurt them if you keep shaking things up."

  
The Hulk's attention swings back to Rhodey, and Rhodey swallows but doesn't back down, not that The Hulk can really see Rhodey's determined glare behind the mask.

  
After a moment, the creature nods. "HULK HELP. THEN METAL MAN CAN REST."

  
Captain America nods and swings his shield onto his back before saying, "Stand back, please," to the gathering gawkers in a voice that brooks no disobedience. Even Rhodey finds himself joining the shuffle to a safer distance, and is immediately irritated when he realizes it.

  
It's a combination of awe inspiring and a little alarming to watch Captain America and The Hulk go to work. Seconds later, Rhodey is helping a mother with her young daughter and infant out of the wreckage, to the tired but hearty cheers of volunteers. He's makes sure they're seen off safely to emergency crew, before turning back and almost walking into Captain America's impressive chest.  
  
  
"Tony," Captain America's frown of disapproval and concern are potent, but Rhodey also knows instinctively that it would probably just raise all of Tony's hackles.

"No, uh." Rhodey holds up his hands. "I'm not Tony. Tony's still at the hospital." With Happy and Pepper, who are tag-teaming watching Tony and volunteering with the medical staff.

Rhodey, jittery and knowing he could do more good on the streets, had extracted promises that Pepper would message him if anything changed and then grabbed the most advanced suit he was comfortable piloting and headed into the chaos of New York. Warzones are never easy, and this close to home, Rhodey feels almost as gutted as the city, but it's still better than waiting at Tony's bedside being useless.

  
The Hulk picks him up bodily in both giant hands and Rhodey barely resists instinctively socking him in the jaw which--by all accounts--would not work out well for Rhodey. Instead, he tries to hold still and be non-threatening as The Hulk turns him this way and that, like a child inspecting a toy.

  
"NOT METAL MAN?" There's a combination of curiosity and menace in The Hulk's tone, both of which Rhodey feels he could handle better if he were not currently upside down.

  
"No, uh, JARVIS? A little help?"

  
"Colonel Rhodes is one of Mr. Stark's most trusted and long standing companions," JARVIS reports across comlink channels, voice at a crisp clip. "He has permission to pilot the Iron Man armor and is not a danger to other allies of Mr. Stark. Please do put him down gently, Mr. Hulk. Mr. Stark would be rather vexed to see either the Colonel or the Mark IV damaged."

  
Rhodey breathes out as he's righted and set on his feet. "Thanks, JARVIS. Uh, Mr. Hulk." He nods to the giant. "And thanks for saving Tony," he adds, feeling a bit guilty for not saying it earlier.

  
But that just makes The Hulk look sad. "HULK HURT METAL MAN."

  
Rhodey recalls that the three broken ribs, fractured collar bone and wrist and concussion had likely been the result of Tony being caught mid-plummet by his fellow Avenger, according to the doctor who'd filled Rhodey in upon arrival. Tony had collapsed while helping rescue workers shortly before Rhodey had touched down in the States, and though he'd been conscious again before Rhodey had even made it to the hospital, they were keeping him for 24 hours of observation.

  
"Better than dead," Rhodey says, swallowing convulsively.

  
The Hulk looks a little less upset at that, and Rhodey resists the urge to pat his huge head.

  
Captain America, who has been studying him in silence, says finally, "War Machine," like he's figured out the answer to a long equation.

  
It surprises Rhodey, who, for the first time in this strange encounter, thinks that maybe he wasn't the only one to be debriefed and granted access to classified files. He's not entirely sure how he feels about that, and wonders how much they told Tony about what secrets were revealed.

  
"That's right," he says neutrally.

  
"Why the Iron Man armor?"

  
It's a fair question, Rhodey decides. "War Machine's tied up politically and--despite Tony and Pepper's best efforts--legally with the Air Force. Simpler this way."

  
Captain America nods and shifts his weight, swinging his shield off his back again in a graceful move that probably is a lot harder than it looks.  He adjusts straps and says, "We appreciate the help, Colonel."

  
"It just needs doing, Captain. No need for accolades," Rhodey says, not sure whether to be annoyed or amused at the way Captain America deepens his voice when he's addressing someone formally. For a second it really does sound like he's stepped out of the pages of a comic book, all patriotic _"Well done, citizen."_

  
"Please let us know if you require further assistance," Captain America continues, obviously preparing to leave. His head is cocked slightly, like he's listening to something else. Reports from one of his other teammates through a closed comm channel, maybe. "JARVIS can get you in contact with us, apparently."

  
"Yeah, likewise."

  
With another nod, Captain America makes his exit, a graceful leap up and over an overturned bus that's part of a larger pileup that's blocked an entire street. Rhodey isn't sure how he feels about their encounter, but he still enjoys watching the man go.

  
The Hulk's hand lands heavy on Rhodey's back. "HULK LIKE OTHER METAL MAN," he declares and then he--jumps? Takes off? Rhodey isn't sure. But one minute the green giant is standing beside him and the next Rhodey's staggering in the wake of his exit, which is so powerful that it actually creates aftershocks. The Hulk vanishes with a massive leap, disappearing behind a building. Rhodey can only shake his head in wonder, just one more gaping bystander in the crowd that has gathered around them. With a huff of self-deprecating amusement, he orders himself back to work, digs into his reserve and soldiers on.

 

  
  
Rhodey meets Steve Rogers some hours later. Rhodey's lost all track of the day, knowing only that it's been dark for so long that it's started to get light again, just the gray hints of dawn at the edges of the sky. The power is spotty in this part of the city, so close to the worst of the damage, but apparently Tony, in his lucid moments, has done something to steady it in the area's hospitals.

  
Rhodey's mouth feels and tastes like grit. His feet drag and the fluorescent lighting stings his eyes. Fortunately, it's dim in Tony's room and everyone's asleep. Rhodey can just make out Pepper curled into the larger bulk of Happy a bed away, her face illuminated softly by the light of her cell phone, cupped loosely in her hand, tucked close to her chin.

  
There are four beds in total. The hospital is filled to capacity and then some, and Tony had insisted on sharing even though this is technically a private room. Because no one's awake to see, Rhodey allows himself a slightly dramatic flop into the hard chair at Tony's bedside. His legs feel cut off at the kneecap. His face feels numb. He stares blindly at the blur of beeping-blinking equipment keeping track of life signs in the bed across the way.  Rhodey should know the actual names of all that machinery, but his mind is blank and it feels like it takes time and effort to drag his eyes shut and then open again.

  
"Hey." Tony's hand lands clumsily on Rhodey's head. His voice is a scratchy whisper, and that's more due to actual weakness than Tony's attempt at being quiet. "Hey, Papa Bear. Don't look so sad." His IV rattles softly as he attempts to stroke Rhodey's hair. Rhodey grabs his hand and pulls it down gently to cradle it against his chest, which is about as far as Tony can reach without bending his arm at an awkward angle.

  
"I'm not sad," Rhodey says immediately, because his friendship with Tony means that he has a kneejerk reaction to be contrary. It's not the best of instincts for a career military man. "I'm mad."

  
Tony struggles to pull himself a little more upright. Rhodey makes scoffing, scolding sounds under his breath that would've made his grandmother proud, God rest her, as he stands up and helps, adjusting the bed and Tony until he's in a mostly-sitting position and both of them are a little more exhausted.

  
"Mad?" Tony asks finally, panting slightly. The shift of blankets has revealed the arc reactor in a very faint shine through the double layers of Tony's shirt and the wrap keeping Tony's left arm immobilized.  Happy had brought clean street clothes for Tony because he knew Tony wouldn't tolerate the hospital gowns.

  
"I met Captain America. You didn't tell me he was pretty." Rhodey bites down on the fact that Tony hadn't told Rhodey _anything_ because that's one lecture that isn't entirely warranted. Rhodey's been on a mission until recently, unreachable. Not that that's ever really stopped Tony before.

  
"Oh." Tony perks, the ghost of a grin gleaming in the dimness. "Oh yeah, isn't he? Too bad he's a bit of a dick, though. But maybe I just bring that out in people."

  
"You do," Rhodey assures him. "But if you want me to, I'll still beat him up for you."

  
"You would?" Tony sounds so sweetly hopeful it makes Rhodey smile.

  
"Yeah. I mean, lend me one of the armors first but, yeah. I would. Totally."

  
"My hero," Tony murmurs with more warmth than sarcasm, turning his hand palm up on the bed.

  
Rhodey takes the invitation for what it is and drops his hand over Tony's, their fingers lacing. They sit that way in companionable silence, which is rare for Tony, as is the fact that he doesn't shake off Rhodey's grip after a few moments. Normally, Rhodey would wonder why, adding data to his ongoing Figuring Tony Out project, but right now he's so tired he feels like he could almost fall asleep in this hideously uncomfortable chair and not wake up for hours.

  
"I would've come," Rhodey says after a few moments, because it needs to be said, "if you had asked me to."

  
Tony doesn't answer for long enough that he thinks maybe the other man is asleep. Then he stirs, straightening a little. Rhodey sees the familiar movement of Tony's chin coming up. "I know."

  
"Really?" Rhodey sits up, tightening his hold on Tony's fingers. "Do you? Because I thought we had this conversation already. Didn't we? No more Lone Ranger bullshit."

  
"I wasn't alone," Tony protests sharply, voice rising. Pepper stirs and they both hunker down guiltily. Tony lowers his voice as he continues. "I had a whole _team_ this time, Rhodey. I, like, followed orders and everything."

  
Rhodey feels the energy go out of his argument and he slumps a little, resting his spine against the chair's hard plastic curve and tries to see his friend's expression in the shadows. It's true enough, but it makes Rhodey a little uneasy that Tony says _team_ and neither he nor Pepper or Happy are included in that word. They've been Tony's support group for so long that there's a rhythm to how they handle things and manage their own lives around the possibility of a Tony-crisis. It may not be particularly healthy, but it _works_ , and Rhodey isn't sure of these new people, what they'll bring to the equation.

  
Tony must have interpreted his silence for disbelief, because he continues a bit defensively, "Well, I mean, not right away or anything, but when it _mattered_..." And then a sudden shift into suspicion. "What did Captain Perfect _tell_ you?"

  
"Nothing. He's fine."

  
"But I'm the prettier one, right?"

  
Rhodey can hear the exaggerated pout in Tony's voice, can even see the hint of a lip wobble in the arc reactor's faint blue glow. He knows the deflection for what it is, but now is probably not the time for this conversation anyway, so Rhodey allows himself to be diverted. "You are the prettiest princess in all the land."

  
"But you like me best for my brain."

  
"Mama Bear, I like all of you."

  
Tony tugs on his hand. "Come sleep before you fall over."

  
Rhodey blinks, feeling as though there are grains of sand in his eyes, to match the empty wasteland currently between his ears. "I'm not going to risk jostling you while you're wounded."

  
"I don't want to have to drag your ass off the floor. I'll rip stitches. You don't want that. That would be worse than any damage you could do. The whining alone would be stuff of legend."

  
Rhodey snorts softly and can feel himself waver, both mentally and physically. The fact that Tony has the strength to pull him off balance in his current state is a testament to how close Rhodey is to just folding over and passing out.

  
"I'll hit the morphine button a couple of times and then I won't even feel the hurt," Tony offers.

  
"You hate drugs."

  
"If it'll save you from faceplanting on linoleum, porcupine, I'll suffer them."

  
Rhodey breathes out, a soft huff somewhere between exasperation and affection, which is pretty much Tony and Rhodey in a nutshell. "Don't."

  
He disentangles their hands, then shuffles less than gracefully around the end of the bed to the other side where there's more room. The bed is fairly wide, for hospital fare, and it makes Rhodey wonder why Pepper isn't already filling the space. Probably afraid that her need to leave every hour or so to take a phone call would interrupt Tony's rest.

  
"Shoes," Tony says imperiously as Rhodey starts crawling in.

  
"You and your kinks," Rhodey grumbles, flopping over to wrestle his boots off. Were the laces always this long and complicated?

  
"I think it's considered a kink to want people to leave their shoes _on_ in bed," Tony retorts.

  
It's as the second boot finally hits the floor with a thump and Rhodey kicks both his legs up on the bed, pressing himself back into the pillows that Tony blurts,  
"Phil's dead."

  
Rhodey pauses, and then continues his ease back against the pillows, feeling the distant echo of loss. He met Agent Coulson in passing, and heard--from Pepper mostly--how he'd more or less been adopted into the inner circle. Rhodey's been looking forward to getting to know the Agent better during his upcoming leave.

  
"I haven't been able to tell Pepper about it," Tony confesses in a hushed whisper. "I...I keep hoping someone else will. Isn't that awful? That's awful."

  
Tony had died, too, asphyxiating in a cold, dark place in a completely different dimension. Rhodey had heard it from JARVIS. Tony hadn't told anyone about that, either. There wouldn't have even been a body to bury. Rhodey is familiar with saying his goodbyes to empty boxes, and making speeches that attempt to provide closure for grieving loved ones, but there is something fiercely, selfishly joyful that he isn't in their place. Not today.

  
Rhodey has no platitudes to give, and Tony wouldn't want them, anyway. Instead, he leans carefully against his friend, waiting to see if there's any more Tony wants to say.

  
"He was stupid," Tony says softly, the worst condemnation from a Stark.

  
"And brave?" Rhodey asks, because the two are closely linked in Tony's mind. In Rhodey's, too, truth be told. Tony walks that line almost continuously and it makes Rhodey want to take him by the shoulders and shake him most days.

  
There's a sharp, choked chuckle. "The bravest."

  
Rhodey just eases more of his weight along Tony's side, careful of Tony's injuries, and listens as his breathing slowly evens out, staring out into the room that's gotten lighter in a gradual way that Rhodey hadn't noticed until now. In the hallway, Rhodey becomes aware of the bustle, the controlled chaos that's barely eased up in the early hours. In another bed, one of Tony's roommates whimpers in their sleep. Happy grumbles and shifts before falling silent again.

  
"You're a big jerk, you know," Tony murmurs after a long moment. "Coming back early. I had this whole thing planned out. We were going to meet you at the airport. There was going to be cabana boys. A marching band and fireworks. Elephants."

  
"What a shame I missed that," Rhodey says with all the dry sarcasm he can manage.

  
Tony snorts softly, and tucks his head under Rhodey's chin. "I'm glad you're here."

  
"So am I," Rhodey says.

  
Together they drift into something resembling sleep.

  
Rhodey jerks awake again in what feels like no time at all, though the light and the level of noise tells him otherwise. He blinks blurrily, disgruntled at consciousness and the world and comes face-to-face with a startled Captain America, who jerks back with a surprised sound when they make eye contact.

  
"Ah, sorry," the Captain blurts, looking a lot younger with hair ruffled, cheeks flushed. Goddamn, that jawline. "Miss Potts said I could stay and. You looked cold so."

  
Rhodey processes things like gears ticking over one at a time. He glances at the next bed over and ascertains that neither Pepper nor Happy are in it. He looks down and realizes that someone has placed a jacket over him. That "someone" obviously being Captain America, because he has a very distinctive uniform. It's still warm, like he was just wearing it. That shiny blue underarmor really clings to his biceps in a way that makes Rhodey's mouth water a little and also makes him a bit jealous. He's an active pilot in the US Air Force. Their physicals are rigorous and Rhodey always passes with flying colors, but he does not have biceps like that. What an indecently attractive asshole.

  
"Coffee," Rhodey says, because after a few seconds of mustering, that's the only word that would form.

  
"Yeah," Captain America says. "Yes, I can do that. Sir."

  
He leaves. Rhodey blinks at the ceiling for a few minutes and then elbows Tony very gently in the side.

  
"Your boyfriend's here," he says.

  
"Before coffee he's your boyfriend," Tony mutters, face half hidden against Rhodey's shoulder.

  
Rhodey settles a little, tugging the jacket closer around him. It smells like gunpowder and ash and Kevlar. Rhodey feels a smirk hook a corner of his mouth with a surprising amount of enthusiasm.

  
"I wonder if he says 'sir' in bed."

  
He gives Tony a sideways look and sees Tony slit open a single eye to peer at him muzzily. Then he sits up and opens both eyes when Rhodey only raises his eyebrows, not looking away. They grin at each other, in a way that reminds Rhodey of college. It's been a long time since either of them has played wingman for the other.

  
It probably should be weird, lusting after Captain America. Rhodey collected the comics when he was a kid. But the reality of the man doesn't really connect to the images in ink on paper, so Rhodey gives a little mental shrug and decides if it's a kink, it's one he can live with.

  
But it's probably fortunate for the Captain that Tony's dug out one of his many wireless devices and is distracted by the time he gets back. By the light of day, Tony looks worse than he probably is. He's pale and his left wrist is in a cast, the same arm that's been wrapped to help stabilize his fractured collarbone. They had to shave a patch of his head to put in stitches. His beard has crept out well beyond Tony's carefully maintained boundaries. Dark shadows are like bruises under his eyes.

  
"Tony," Captain America says, stopping dead in the doorway and bracing himself like he's ready to take a blow.

  
"Steve," Tony says without even looking up, though there's tension in the line of his shoulders.

  
Rhodey glances between them and then says, "Jim." They both look at him. "Sorry, just thought I'd join in."

  
"Your name is _Jim_?" Tony gasps, looking at him with mock betrayal.

  
Rhodey snorts and nudges him in the side and like that the tension is broken.

  
"Ow," Tony grumbles. "Don't make me laugh. Broken ribs suck. I need to develop some kind of magic fix for them. And by 'magic' I mean 'science.' The liquid ceramic compound works so well on the long bones."

  
Captain America--Steve, as Rhodey decides to call him, because he looks pretty far away from a national icon at the moment--steps around to Rhodey's side of the bed and hands him a large coffee cup, then takes the other and sips from it.

  
"Hey," Tony frowns. "Where's my coffee?"

  
"Oh, uh." The tips of Steve's ears go red. "I...didn't bring you any...?"

  
"Capsicle!" Tony barks, betrayed for real this time. Rhodey raises an eyebrow at the nickname but doesn't comment, too busy drinking perfectly hot, black coffee, bracing enough to curl Rhodey's nose hairs.

  
"You were asleep!" Steve protests. "And you need rest!"

  
"I need coffee," Tony counters with a stubborn set to his chin. "I need it to _live_." His eyes flick to Rhodey. "Give me yours."

  
"Like hell," Rhodey says and curls around his cup protectively.

  
"You're a terrible best friend," Tony declares.

  
"Steve can be your new best friend."

  
"Fine," Tony says and then flicks an imperious _give me what I want immediately, peasant_ gesture in Steve's direction.

  
"But--"

  
"Does caffeine even have an effect on you?"

  
"Tony--"

  
"To _live,_ Steve."

  
Rhodey has to give it to Tony's acting skills. Even he almost half-believes Tony is about three seconds away from dying from lack of proper caffeination. Further argument is interrupted, however, when a Pepto-Bismol-pink plastic cup, the ones issued by the hospital for water, flies across the room and very nearly clips Steve in the head.

  
"Fucking split the difference and shut up already!" the girl in the bed across the way shouts. "Some of us are trying to sleep!"

  
Rhodey laughs outright. Tony attempts a glare, but it morphs into a grin because he's always had a soft spot for the foul mouthed assholes of the world. Steve sheepishly pours half his coffee into the pink cup and hands the rest to Tony, then he drags a chair over and sits, sipping coffee with them in reverent silence.

  
Tony's finished his and has bullied Rhodey into giving him the rest of his cup by the time Steve straightens, having been nursing the dregs for a while, rolling pink plastic in his large hands. He clears his throat and opens his mouth.

  
"Can we not?" Tony says before Steve can get anything out.

  
Steve stops and swallows whatever he'd been about to say. "What?"

  
"You had that 'determined to do the right thing even if it kills me' expression. I don't want to hear it, whatever it is. Plus, Rhodey's promised to beat you up for me, and that's something I'd like to see. "

  
Steve flicks an uncertain look in Rhodey's direction, and Rhodey nods, keeping his expression solemn, willing to back Tony up even though he'd really just like to know what, exactly, this is about.

  
"It's true. Though knowing Tony I'll likely have another reason to punch someone in the face before the week's out."

  
Tony shoots him a dark look. Rhodey meets it with a raised eyebrow, and they hold like that until Tony dissolves into a grudging, "Yeah, okay. Probably."

  
Steve looks interested, sidetracked in spite of good intentions. Such is the way of people who spend time near Tony. "Does that happen often?"

  
"All the time in college," Tony says blithely. "After that, I sort of grew out of the need for backup."

  
Which makes Rhodey bristle and retort, "No one ever completely grows out of the need for backup."

  
And then they're stuck in a glare-off again. In the silence Steve says, a little desperately, "I wanted to apologize--"

  
"Oh god," Tony says, looking away from Rhodey to roll his eyes. "Stop; it's fine."

  
"It's _not_ ," Steve insists.

  
"Tony, shut up and let the man apologize," Rhodey snaps, and Tony's mouth shuts with a click of teeth. It's good to know That Tone of Voice still works on him. Rhodey uses it sparingly just so that Tony doesn't develop immunity.

  
Rhodey still isn't a hundred percent sure what's going on, but he's willing to encourage anyone who has the balls to try and make amends with Tony. Tony tends to burn bridges. With napalm. There are a very small handful of people who are willing to brave the way back while it's actively on fire, without ulterior motive, anyway. But Steve seems a good sort, even apart from being _Captain America_ , and unlike Tony, Rhodey has good instincts when it comes to people.

  
Steve pauses for a moment, as if waiting to see if the silence will hold. When Tony makes an expansive _well, go ahead_ gesture, Steve frowns, but he squares his shoulders and carries on anyway.

  
"I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier." Steve is still and serious and his gaze is direct and steady. Tony fidgets next to Rhodey, obviously agitated. "I was wrong. I made assumptions and...they were wrong. I'm sorry. I still don't understand you, not really, but I think I'd like to."

  
It's a prettily sincere little speech, and Tony managed to hold his tongue through the whole thing, which is surprising in its own right. Rhodey wonders if Steve has the patience for the long haul, because he's had almost twenty years of project Figuring Tony Out and he still gets blindsided by the chaos of Tony's whims from time to time.

  
"And if you ever--"

  
"Okay," Tony interrupts. "Fine. Great. I accept or whatever. This was terribly touching. And terrible. Just terrible. Can we never speak of it again? Also--ditto."

  
Rhodey, who'd been taking a sip of coffee and wishing, vaguely, for popcorn because something this entertaining deserves the full movie experience, coughs and sends Tony a startled glance. But Tony is staring resolutely at the wall.

  
"Um. I mean, I apologize for what I said, et cetera et cetera."

  
"Tony, you don't have to--"

  
"Look, Cap, this is about as sincere as I get so take it or leave it."

  
"I'll take it," Steve says with such a determined look of sincerity that Rhodey has to stifle a chuckle. "And if you need anything--"

  
"Oh god, no. Wait." The look Tony throws in Rhodey's direction is so sly that Rhodey's survival instincts kick in.

  
"I think I'm going to try and find breakfast," Rhodey says, sliding toward the edge of the bed.

  
"Oh no you don't," Tony says, up on his knees to awkwardly grab Rhodey one-handed, wincing a little. "Cap, flank him!"

  
Before Rhodey can figure out how to slip Tony without injuring him further, Steve's arms circle him from the other side, almost long enough to encompass Tony as well, and Rhodey is well and truly caught, reduced to glaring at his best friend, who's grinning wildly.

  
"Well, it's not cabana boys, but under the circumstances, I think it'll do. Nothing beats Captain America."

  
"What are we doing?" Steve asks.

  
"You said 'anything I needed'," Tony reminds him, glaring at Steve over Rhodey's head.

  
"Within reason," Steve retorts.

  
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do, Steve. Don't encourage him; it'll just make him worse."

  
But then Tony presses a soft kiss against Rhodey's temple and murmurs. "Welcome home, Rhodey."

  
And then, after a small hesitation, there's just the lightest brush of lips on Rhodey's opposite temple as Steve echoes the action. "Welcome home, Jim."

  
Tony wrinkles his nose. " _Jim?_ Is that going to be a thing? Because no."

  
"I hate you," Rhodey says, enunciating clearly.

  
Tony smirks. "You love me."

  
Rhodey pretends to take his time, thinking about that, as he sinks into the support of both of their arms. "Yeah, that too."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this took so long for me to post here. Apologies to people who've already read this. This version is beta'd and nit-picked to within an inch of its life so that makes up for it?


End file.
